'Suspicious' St Austell house fire investigated by police

More than 50 firefighters from St Austell, Lostwithiel, Launceston, Mevagissey, Fowey, Bodmin and Truro were drafted in to tackle the blaze in Victoria Road
The flames were so fierce the building's interior walls collapsed and tthe roof was completely destroyed
A neighbouring property was evacuated while fire crews spent several hours bringing the flames under control
Devon and Cornwall Police said the building was now unsafe and structural engineers were assessing it

Police are investigating the cause of a "suspicious" fire which completely destroyed a vacant house in St Austell.

More than 50 firefighters from across Cornwall battled the flames at the height of the blaze, which started at about 21:00 GMT on Wednesday.

A family was evacuated from a neighbouring property when the fire in Victoria Road threatened to spread, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

No-one was injured in the fire, which has made the building unstable.

A police spokesman added: "The building is deemed to be unsafe and a structural engineer is due to attend to assess the building. This may hamper a prompt investigation being carried out.